A Respect For God’s Handiwork
June 21, 2020
Commentary
In this Psalm David rejoiced in God’s creation and the fact that the God of heaven, whose name is “excellent”, should use people to rule the earth (vv. 1, 9). It shows that God’s glory is more than a theological concept; it is also linked to an emotional component called joy. It reminds us that to glorify God is to enjoy Him. It is thought that David wrote this psalm soon after he killed Goliath, and it was sung perhaps before King Saul to subdue the demon that flared from his jealous eye. When Goliath saw the Hebrews were sending a young shepherd boy against him, he “cursed David by his gods.” David replied, “Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts” (I Samuel 17:45). The Lord’s name is excellent in the earth and a glory set above the heavens. To respect God’s handiwork, we must compare ourselves to His greatness (vv. 1-3).
The psalmist considers the heavens (vv. 3-8). David was a shepherd boy and no doubt had watched the stars night after night and knew that God had created them, counted them, and called them by their names. He could not help but ask, “What is man, that thou are mindful of him” (v. 4)? He goes on to say that we are “a little lower than the angels” (v. 5); not “a little higher than the beasts” as Charles Darwin and his followers would have us believe. Man was made by a direct act of God and made in the image and likeness of God. Why live like a slave when you can live like a sovereign? That the Sovereign of the universe desires a close relationship with me is almost beyond comprehension. The author of this Psalm told the Lord that His name is wonderful everywhere on earth.
Application
Because God has declared how valuable we are to Him, I can be set free from feelings of worthlessness. However, with great value comes great responsibility. He did not create me to wander around on this earth without any purpose. He has a plan for me in this life and I need to seek to fulfill that plan.
Psalms 8:1– 9 (NET)
1 O Lord, our Lord, how magnificent is your reputation throughout the earth! You reveal your majesty in the heavens above.
2 From the mouths of children and nursing babies you have ordained praise on account of your adversaries, so that you might put an end to the vindictive enemy.
3 When I look up at the heavens, which your fingers made, and see the moon and the stars, which you set in place,
4 Of what importance is the human race, that you should notice them? Of what importance is mankind, that you should pay attention to them?
5 You made them a little less than the heavenly beings. You crowned mankind with honor and majesty.
6 you appoint them to rule over your creation; you have placed everything under their authority,
7 including all the sheep and cattle, as well as the wild animals,
8 the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that moves through the currents of the seas.
9 O Lord, our Lord, how magnificent is your reputation throughout the earth!